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This study was carried out to investigate the alleviation of salt stress (0, 6.25, 12.50 and 25 dS/m) on growth and development of Acacia saligna, grown in sandy loam sterile soil by using arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Sinorhizobium terangae (R), individually or in combination (AMF+R). Growth and nodulation parameters, leaf osmotic adjustment and chemical analysis were used as parameters. Salt stress increases the percentage of sodium (Na) and calcium (Ca) contents as well as proline; meanwhile, it reduces the leaf osmotic potential, growth parameters, nodulation parameters, Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (N. P. K.) contents, total carbohydrates percentages and chlorophyll contents. Co-inoculated (AMF+R) stressed plants were able to maintain a higher osmotic potential of cells leading to the significantly rapid growth, enhanced nodulation parameters, N, P, K, Ca, total carbohydrates percentages and chlorophyll contents as well as proline in leaves, and significantly reduced the Na percentage. In conclusion, Co-inoculated (AMF+R) enabled the plants to maintain osmotic adjustments and enhanced the plants tolerance against salinity.

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During the inspection of imported grown Lily (Lilium spp.) plants (Acapulco cultivar), symptoms of Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris (Ca. P. astris) infestation was observed in the experimental fields of the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza governorate. The observed disease symptoms included stunting, scorched and leaf discoloration, flowering bud failure, and reduced quality of bulbs. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was the key technique employed in this study. Four pairs of primers were used in PCR analysis. In the first amplification, a universal primer pair P1/P7 was used to amplify a 1.8 kbp DNA fragment of the rRNA operon. In the second nested amplification, the universal primer pairs R16F2n/R16R2 (F2n/R2) and R16F0/R16R1 (F0/R1) and the specific P1/Ayint were used to detect 1.2, 1.44, and 1.5 kbp, respectively, from aster yellows group phytoplasma infecting plants. Containment of phytoplasma infestation in lily was obtained through a periodical spray of infected lily plants with tetracycline hydrochloride antibiotic. Lily plants are vegetatively propagated. This allows the spread of this phytoplasma to several economic crops.